Reflextions on the First of September
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Severus Snape is dreading the arrival of one Harry Potter at Hogwarts. Completely AU, partly OOC, set on the first of September of Harry's first Hogwarts year. Just a short, pointless drabble that came into my mind.


**Reflexions on the First of September**  
**by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

_- just a little drabble which popped up in my mind -_

* * *

Severus Snape, Potions Master, Potions professor and Head of Slytherin at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry was sitting on his chair at the Head table between his most annoying colleagues Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey, waiting for the students to arrive for a new school year.

_'This year... oh no, the next seven years,'_ he corrected himself, _'are going to be my worst seven years ever after my own time at Hogwarts,' _he mused. _'Harry Potter, who's the spitting image of James Potter, is going to arrive today. Yes, he has Lily's green eyes, but other than that, he looks exactly like his father, and I'm sure he's going to be the same type of arrogant Gryffindor as James was.'_

He was brought back to reality, when the older students stormed the Great Hall, hurrying to their House tables, as if they had not been fed at all during the summer holidays. _'Dunderheads,'_ he thought. A few minutes later, Minerva brought the new first years into the Hall, and he immediately skimmed the group for the son of his archenemy. _'He's not here,'_ his mind screamed, happily, and Severus slightly relaxed for the first time on this day.

However, all his hopes were destroyed, when Minerva read from her list, "Harry Potter," and one boy made his way to the Sorting Hat.

_'That's Potter?'_ he wondered in disbelief, taking in the boy's silky black hair that resembled his own hair instead of his archenemy's unruly, messy hair. _'Yes, green eyes he has, but he looks completely different from James and from how he looked when he was a small child,' _he thought in surprise. He was so absentminded that he almost chocked, when the Sorting Hat called out, "Slytherin."

_'Potter a Slytherin?'_ he thought and observed with a combination of shock and disbelief how the boy, who in fact had his mother's green eyes, took a seat between Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, seemingly hesitant.

HP

During dinner as well as during the following House meeting in the Slytherin common room, Severus could not take his eyes from the boy. The thought _'Why does he look so different from how he looked as a baby?'_ along with the question _'How come that his hair looks like mine? Is he playing a prank on me?'_ pushed themselves to the front of his mind.

Even after the House meeting, when he accompanied all first years to the hospital wing for a check-up with Madam Pomfrey, he could not prevent his eyes from wandering to the thin boy with silky black hair and green eyes. He absentmindedly watched the Healer check on the students and release them one by one, before she finally addressed him.

"Severus, there's a problem with Mr. Potter," she said, quietly.

In surprise, Severus realised that she had already dismissed all the other students and that Potter was the only one remaining on the bed next to her office. He quirked an eyebrow at the Healer in silent question.

"He seems to have been abused by his relatives," Poppy informed him in a quiet voice. "His body is full of bruises and welts. Some of them are infected, which is why he's running a slight temperature, and he has a few broken bones, which have healed improperly. I'd like to keep him here overnight and see what I can do for him tonight."

Severus merely nodded, his thoughts going haywire. _'The boy... abused? Potter's son? Lily's child? Abused by Petunia, that bitch of her sister?'_ Still deep in thoughts, he observed Poppy deal with the boy, who seemed very polite and shy. _'Not at all like Potter senior.'_

"Poppy?" he spoke up, hesitantly, when the child had finally drifted off to sleep, his belly full with potions. Seeing that the Healer gave him a questioning look, he queried, "Why doesn't he look like Potter anymore? I know that he did when he was a baby."

If he had expected to receive a snort from the Healer, who at the same time had been his best friend ever since Lily had died, he was completely mistaken. On the contrary, a huge smile spread over the Healer's face.

"Severus, I'm so glad that you were able to figure it out by yourself. You know, Lily told me that she was relying on my Healer's oath, when she asked me to prolong the pregnancy, so that I couldn't tell you about your relationship."

Severus almost thought that either the Healer or himself were delirious, when Poppy continued, "He must have somehow cancelled the charms, which Lily had placed on him, before he was even born, in order to make him look like James and cause everyone to believe that he was his son."

Severus stared at the Healer. "Poppy, you mean..." He trailed off, his eyes wandering to the first bed in the long row, the one that was occupied by... _'My son?'_ Seeing Poppy smile and nod gently, he slowly approached the bed and sat on the edge, carefully pushing an errand strand of hair out of the boy's face. _'This is indeed a surprise, to which I have to get used first,'_ he thought, as he watched the child sleep.

"Don't worry, everything will be all right now... son," he whispered as he took the child's hand in his own, realising in surprise that he felt warmer and happier than he had ever felt since a long time ago.

**The End**


End file.
